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Jeff Fenech
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40-year-old Jeff Fenech is a former boxer and three-time world champion at bantamweight, junior featherweight and featherweight whom many Australians refer to as the greatest boxing champion to ever come out of the country. Fenech is considered by many to be a national sporting icon in Australia.
Since retiring in 1996 Fenech has kept himself busy and is now the owner of a sports clothing brand that carries his name in Australia. Fenech also trains and manages a number of very talented Australian boxers, assisting them in their quests to obtain world title shots. In addition, he was inducted in 2002 into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in Canastota, New York.
Boxing.net.au’s Ty Cerminara spoke to Jeff Fenech via cell phone twenty minutes before the weigh-in for Danny Green versus Omar Eduardo González that took place on Wednesday. This is what the three-time world champion had to say.
TC: Hi Jeff, thanks for taking the time to talk to us, is now a good time to conduct an interview?
JF: No problem Ty, I have twenty minutes to spare before Danny’s weigh in.
TC: Thanks Jeff. Just a few quick questions for the fans. How was the Green vs. James Toney sparring?
JF: It was great for Danny Green. It was a bit unfortunate the way James Toney conducted himself, that’s James Toney and that’s Danny Green. Danny’s a Gentlemen and James is a little bit different. We went over there and we certainly got a lot out of the sparing session. Danny learnt a lot from the sparing and it was very beneficial for us.
TC: Favorite fighter of all time?
JF: Roberto Duran.
TC: Most admired fighter?
JF: Mike Tyson.
TC: In your opinion regarding the state of Australian boxing, what improvements are needed?
JF: I can't really talk for anyone else, on our own backyard, we just keep trying to get better and better. Not everything works, we try to do the best we can all the time and we learn from everyone. We have just been overseas with Vic Darchinyan and Danny, sparing James Toney, so we learn everywhere and I just hope we can all keep learning; you never stop learning. We are quite happy to realize that you always learn and we are always looking to learn and always looking to get better, and if anybody can give us any tips or help us out in any way, we are more then happy to learn from them.
TC: Any predictions for Danny’s fight tomorrow night mate?
JF: No mate, just a much more skillful Danny Green, a better overall controlled fighter. I think Danny would have learnt a lot from the James Toney experience. Danny’s one of those guys that is still learning, he started the sport at a very late age and his still learning, getting better and better.
TC: Has Danny’s preparation been good?
JF: Yeah! Danny’s one of those great trainers that you never have to ask to do anything special or you never have to worry that he hasn’t done enough, he always does plenty. I am more then happy with his preparation.
TC: Thanks for your time Jeff and Good Luck for Tomorrow's Fight.
JF: No problem mate.
Jeff Fenech retired from professional boxing in 1996 with a record of 27 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw, with 21 wins by knockout. He currently manages and trains the following Australian boxers:
Flyweight
Hussein Hussein 25-1 (19)
Vic Darchinyan 21-0 (16)
Super bantamweight
Nedal Hussein 35-1 (21)
Light welterweight
Lovemore Ndou 39-7-1 (25)
Middleweight
Sakio Bika 17-1 (10)
Super middleweight
Danny Green 19-1 (17).
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2004
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Submitted by Ty Cerminara, Boxing.net.au (September 30, 2004) 
